[jpd37]

I have this 37 Ply and I have been rebuilding the older street rod. During the redo, I have come to the front floor and tunnel sheetmetal. I don't have the ordinary Ford/Chevy so I am at a loss for a source for replacement sheet metal. I plan to visit a few bump shops to try to find a tin knocker who can fab up a new form, but I feel it might be a waste of time. Any suggestions?

 

[[email protected]]

Easy do-it-yourself job if you have a wire-feed welder and some tin snips. Get some large pieces of poster board. Make yourself a tunnel pattern by cutting and taping the poster board together. When happy with your cardboard tunnel, trace around the cardboard pattern on 20ga sheet metal, cut it out, bend it and weld it in place. Hot rodding 101!

 

[jpd37]

Great idea. Thanks!

 

[Gearhead forever]

There is a book called the Metal Fabricators Handbook by Ron & Sue Fournier. This is likley the best book I have ever read regarding metal working. It may even be available at your local library.(thats how I found it)
It has lots of ideas on homemade forming how tos and gear you can come up with. As a metal fabricator, I highly recommend it. The posterboard is the way to go. Even if it doesn't work out as you want it to, most sheetmetal shops will be willing to make one for you.

 

[jpd37]

Thanks Gearhead for the resource reference. I have started making up posterboard mock-ups but have not found the form that works yet. I have also spoken to a couple of body shops who saud they will join the peices if I make them up. So far, so good. However, the little problem of stiffening the pan with those little dimples and valleys in the pan to stiffen the larger flat areas is something that I cannot do. Any suggestions?

 

[[email protected]]

find a heating and cooling shop that does comercial work, have them roll a bead in your sheet metal with a bead roller, better yet spend a little money and buy one of the cheap copies at Harbor freight, and roll them yourself, then you will have the tool for the next time!

 

[Gearhead forever]

There is a company called Williams low buck tools that may have cheap beaders. As for the sheetmetal-mechanical shops, most will do the forming/beading if you donate a few bucks to the "shop kitty". Did the '37 cars have stamped sheetmetal floors? (Don't laugh, I've never worked on one) Another tip is to use AK steel sheets, they are very mild and easy to form. I'm not sure where to buy it however.

 

[jpd37]

I'm working on the shapes first in thin poster board.
The floor pan was stamped in 37 and is in two pieces. The panning is held in place with screws. My plan as of today is to make templates of each new peice and work out all the joints, break lines and holes. Then I'm going to tape it together and prefit it into the car to insure I hahe accounted for everything including clearances and gas pedal. Once I know it will work, I'll cut the peices out of 20 ga. sht. metal and take it to my local body shop and have them weld the peices together. I can do the rest of the finishing work after that. I intend to add a few stiffener ribs on the underside un areas that were factory stamped with stiffener ribs. That should do the trick.
Thanks for the advice and tips. Now, where are those old tin snips........

 

[[email protected]]

JP; Sounds like you are doing it 100% right!

 

[Gearhead forever]

100% fore sure. I'll bet you'll be pleased with the results. let us know.

 

[mmetalman]

Lots of good advice, except the gauge, 20 is to thin & sloppy for the floor, I use minimum 18 with lots of ribs and 16 with fewer. Believe me, you wouldn't want to do the whole job over again because of sagging or stress cracks in a year just because such a thin gauge metal was used while the difference in cost & work to go abit thicker is negligible. <img src="graemlins/nono.gif" border="0" alt="[nono]" />

 

[tm454]

I have a 37Dodge Business Coupe. I used the trans tunnel from an S-10 pu I was parting out. It fit with a little help. I cut it loose from the firewall to just in front of the flood shift. Leaving a little metal down the side to tie in to my floor from the top.


Todd

 

[montana]

Hi on your ply. floor panel or trans. hump
you can use the old stamped original and diset it
and place it onthe floor with a screw or two and
build off of that and trim as needed when done
it will look more original if you take a little
time it will work well..

 

[jpd37]

I have just about gotthe poster board mock-up finished. The weather has been too cold to work much in the garage. I am going to take MetalMan's advice and go to 16 ga metal. The tunnel is the tricky part. I am forming it in three sections ant once it warms up a bit I will check it in the car.
The original install had some kind of petroleum soaked fiberous gasket between mating parts. What's with that? Any suggestions on what will work here? The mufflers are going to be about 3" below the new pan joints.